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In Briefs

Berkshire Bank’s two charitable foundations awarded $843,615 in grants to 277 nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Vermont during the first half of 2014.

The Berkshire Bank Foundation Inc. and Berkshire Bank Foundation-Legacy Region awarded the funds between Jan. 1 and June 30. They plan to award $1.6 million this year to nonprofits in the bank’s four state service area.

Areas of focus included education, community and economic development projects, along with initiatives involving youth, cultural and human service organizations that provide vital services to the community.

Recent Berkshire County grant award recipients include Community Development Corp. of South Berkshire, Dalton CRA, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. and the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Pittsfield: Museum awarded energy grants

Berkshire Museum has been awarded $83,600 in energy incentive grants from the Berkshire Gas Co. and the Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

The grants will be used as partial funding for a project that will incorporate energy efficiency measures in the museum’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Berkshire Museum received $50,000 from Berkshire Gas, and WMECo provided $33,600 for an innovative solution to control humidity, which is necessary to protect the museum’s collections of art, historical objects and natural specimens.

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The project’s design team was headed by John Aulisio, of Hill Engineers in Dalton, who was aided by energy efficiency program representatives from Berkshire Gas and WMECo.

Pittsfield: Hillcrest awarded $4,000 grant

Hillcrest Educational Centers Inc. has been awarded a $4,000 grant from the Guardian Berkshire Life Insurance Co. for a culinary pre-vocational program at its Housatonic Academy campus.

The program is intended to enhance both independent living and pre-vocational skills for Housatonic Academy students.

Four Hillcrest staff will become ServSafe food safety managers and will be certified as exam proctors, so they may instruct students in the culinary pre-vocational program and certify them in food safety and sanitation, as required by the Massachusetts Food Code.

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